We have seen strange times in the Chase Terrace Academy PE Department since the beginning of Lockdown. We have had many questions to answer… but mainly, how do we engage with the pupils at this very difficult time and how do we encourage them to engage with us? The following information newsletter highlights what we have achieved.
Pupils have participated really well in an extensive PowerPoint that we sent out via Show My Homework. PE Staff recorded explanations as to how to make the most use out of the presentation, encouraging them to investigate and participate in a healthy active lifestyle. The sections included:
- Skill Development
- Mental health
- Fitness and exercise
- Creativity in sport
- Literature in sport
From the feedback that you have sent in about the activities you enjoyed, we have created collages and filled a notice board with a small sample of your activities.
In addition, we have delivered the following enterprising activities:
Created PowerPoints and quizzes: This was to continue with theory development in the sports that we should have participated in, if we had been in school.
PE Department set up a Twitter account:
An extra medium of communication was set up to promote activities that the students could get involved in to maintain an active healthy lifestyle. We linked with organisations to promote free, safe online activities. Our account is @CTA_PE if you would like to follow us. We also used this media platform to support the initiatives below:
Beat the Teacher: Practical challenges were created by the PE staff that were recorded and sent out via registration and on Twitter. Pupils were then encouraged to attempt the same challenge and see if they could achieve higher scores. There were many who did!
Online “Performer of the Week”: Pupils have been working so hard to stay active that it has been only right that each PE teacher could nominate a person who deserved that extra recognition. Sadly we couldn’t nominate everybody, but it was lovely to have so much choice.
Accessed money for instructors to deliver live weekly extra-curricular lessons on Teams
We were extremely lucky to have links with James Austin, the Burntwood and Lichfield School Games Organiser and Tasmine Turner, Sports Development Officer for Burntwood and Lichfield (also an ex Chase Terrace student.) The money that the two generously allocated allowed us to access the following coaches who all delivered live extra-curricular clubs for our Chase Terrace students which have been well attended:
- Yoga – L.Swannell
- Boxing – W.Elcock
- HIIT and Boxercise – P.Woollard
We know that our pupils can go on to see these instructors in and around the Burntwood area through Tasmin’s Getin2it Program. Please visit the website as our pupils are now familiar with some of the activities. These will be delivered in outdoor spaces as soon as it is allowed. The online feedback about the activities has been fantastic.
Delivery of live extra-curricular lessons by the PE Staff on Teams
In addition to the instructors the PE Team delivered a fitness session and a HIIT session twice a week where we were able to interact with the students.
Moving Forward:
We have contacted variety of sports people and asked them to support us motivating our pupils to return to activity again. Our first motivational speaker is below. Have you seen him on the television recently in the World Indoor Athletics Championships?
Elliot Giles
Elliot Giles recently broke the British 800m record while running the second-fastest indoor time in history. His time of 1 min 43.63 seconds, which he ran on Wednesday (February 17th 2021) at the World Indoor Tour in Torun, Poland, beat the record held by Sebastian Coe, which had stood since 1983 Elliot took time out, two days before this record breaking event to speak to the pupils of CTA.
Hard work, commitment and resilience do pay off!
Stay fit and healthy.